1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a microwave source system which generates and outputs microwave power (an electromagnetic wave in a microwave band).
2. Related Background Art
Microwave power of high energy is used as a wide variety of energy for a microwave discharge lamp, a microwave oven and the like. For example, in the technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-249197, microwave power generated by a magnetron is supplied to a microwave discharge lamp to emit the light thereof. The microwave discharge lamp houses an emission cell (bulb) having a light emitting material sealed in the internal space of a resonator which resonates the microwave. The microwave discharge lamp supplies the microwave having a resonance frequency of the resonator to the internal space of the resonator and emits light by exciting the light emitting material in the emission cell by energy of the resonating microwave.
Furthermore, as is well known, the microwave oven heats food with microwave power generated by the magnetron.
The magnetron used for the source of the microwave power in the microwave discharge lamp or microwave oven and the like is relatively expensive and requires a high voltage power supply. Therefore, there has been a problem that it is difficult to reduce the device configuration including the high voltage power supply in size or weight. Furthermore, insulation measures are required against the high voltage power supply, which leads to a problem of easily causing upsizing of the system configuration associated with the insulation measures.
Moreover, the microwave generated by the magnetron is in a narrow band with the center of the band at a predetermined frequency. Therefore, if the resonance frequency of the resonator of the microwave discharge lamp changes due to thermal deformation or load change when the magnetron is used as a microwave source for the microwave discharge lamp, the microwave generated by the magnetron cannot be resonated in some cases. Consequently, light emission from the emitting material may be unsuccessful.